


Demon and Dog

by geekerella



Category: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry, 龍が如く | Ryuu ga Gotoku | Yakuza (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:54:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22244404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geekerella/pseuds/geekerella
Summary: After a brief time together in Sotenbori, Majima Goro is surprised to see Sonozaki Izumi attempting to enter the Omi Alliance. Reunited by chance, Izumi asks for his help to uncover the reason for a rash of suicides in her hometown of Kyoto, which will lead them to the ruins of Hinamizawa and a Yakuza plan that could cause another disaster.
Relationships: Majima Goro/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. The Ghost

The conference room was mostly quiet, with men in business suits talking pleasantly to one another around a square of tables. Some of them held drinks, others talked into their mobile phones, provided they could get a signal in the Fukushima building. The thick black phones they carried were light years away from the gray bricks they’d had in previous years, but it still had its flaws. The door swung open and a man in a light gray suit came in with his hand over his face.

“What’s wrong, Yusaku? Headache?” One of the men of the Kurasawa Family laughed at him but the man in the suit shook his head.

“No. Well, yes, in a way.”

“Are you already drunk? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Majima is on his way over.”

Everyone in the conference room was suddenly paying attention. They wanted to know how close he was, whether they had time to record themselves as absentees, or how many shots of whiskey they could get in before the man got upstairs. Knowing Majima, there was a decent chance that he would run up the stairs instead of going up the elevator, just because it seemed like more fun to him at the moment. The room was buzzing until Ishigawa came to the front of the room and slammed his hand onto the table.

“Stop acting like idiots! God knows we’ll have enough of that once he gets here. Just ignore him and get through this meeting, then we won’t have to deal with him again for months.”

“Who made that lunatic a Captain, anyway?” An Endo lieutenant shook his head. “No one who’s known him for more than ten minutes would let him run a convenience store, much less a family.”

The door was kicked open by a snakeskin boot with a silver toe and heel, and the lunatic burst through it with a grin.

“Yo,” he said, his Osakan accent noticeable in the single word. “You guys haven’t started the meeting without me, have ya?”

“How could we?” Ishigawa rubbed his temples. “You’d just come flying through the door spouting nonsense like always. It’s better to wait for you and just let you get it out of your system.”

“What nonsense?” Majima Goro, Captain of the Shimano Family, also known as the Mad Dog of Shimano, shook his head and put a hand on his hip. He was a slim man, but the lack of a shirt under the snakeskin printed jacket that he wore revealed that he was as well-built as any of the men in the room. Hints of the irezumi on his shoulders peeked around the lapels of the jacket, tight leather pants rounded out the outfit, and the silver tipped snakeskin boots he’d used to kick open the door were the finishing touch. Just like Majima, it was bizarre, eclectic, and light years away from anyone else in the room. The snake eyepatch over his left eye only made him stand out more, but nobody wanted to mess with him.

“Never mind. Let’s go ahead and get this meeting started. We’re missing one person but I have no doubt they’ll be along soon. This meeting is halfway to talk about her anyway.” Ishigawa sat down alongside the representative of the Omi Alliance.

“Her?” Majima sat down and crossed one leg over his knee. “What’s a woman doing coming to a yakuza meeting?”

Before anyone could answer, a clicking of women’s shoes came hurrying down the hallway toward the door. Even though they were quick steps, they sounded businesslike and the men all stopped and turned to the door as if an honored guest was about to be received.

A moment later the door opened and a woman came through the door. Her hair was in an updo, clipped with a tortoiseshell comb, and a streak of green ran up the side and disappeared into the curls the comb held in check. She wore a black business suit whose skirt came above her knees, a red open-throated shirt, and a small gold pin shone on her lapel. When she walked further into the room, they could see that the bottoms of her black heels were a deep red.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice strong as she bowed and apologized. “My cab from the airport got into a wreck and I had to mediate a fight between the drivers.” The Endo man laughed.

“Mediate? The Demon Lady of Sonozaki doesn’t mediate! My guess is that they’re stuck in their own trunks minus a limb or two.” The others laughed and she joined them.

“Just a broken leg and some arms.” She looked up at the Omi representative,, then bowed. “I’m Sonozaki Izumi. Please excuse my lateness.” Before the head of the meeting could reply, Majima stood up, his mouth hanging open as he stared at her.

“Izu-chan?” As soon as he spoke, she looked over at him with wide eyes.

“Goro? What the hell are you doing here?”


	2. Desperate Times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A kitchen fire sends 25 year old Izumi Sonozaki looking for a job at the Grand Cabaret where she meets Sotenbori’s “Lord of the Night.”

_1987, Sotenbori_

“You’re really pretty,” a man’s voice said smoothly, and Sonozaki Izumi looked up from her manga to see a uniquely handsome man smiling at her. He had smooth black hair pulled back in a ponytail, a slim body, and an eyepatch over his left eye. The one eye she could see was a chestnut brown and she felt a little rush of heat. Izumi didn’t make a habit of talking to men on the street, but there was something about his boots that said he might be interesting, mainly because he was dressed in an open-throated tuxedo and his boots were some sort of reptile skin with pointed silver toes.

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow at him, still cautious.

“Tell ya what, I think if you came to work at my cabaret you’d make a lot of money.” The man bowed and handed her a business card and she looked down at it.

“Majima Goro,” she read aloud. “The Grand.” Izumi handed the card back to him. “No thank you, I’ve already got a job.”

“You could work part time. We have girls who work all hours.” He gently pushed the card back to her. “Just think about it, huh? If not, you can pass it on to a friend.”

“Yeah?” She tucked it into her bag. “I don’t have any friends, but I’ll keep it as a memento.”

“Memento?”

“People don’t usually tell me I’m pretty enough to be a hostess.” She smiled, just a little, not wanting to disappoint this handsome man named Majima. “Of course, you’re probably just saying it to recruit me. But it’s nice to hear once in a while.”

“Recruitment or not, ya got a cute smile for sure. Maybe if you’re hanging around the bookstore again, I’ll see ya.” He bowed again, then strode off, the heels of his boots clicking on the concrete. As soon as he was gone, Izumi took the card out of her bag and looked at it.

_A cute smile?_ It wasn’t a compliment she heard often, especially not in Kyoto. She had to be stoic, not let any of the cracks show. No one wanted to trust a woman who smiled too much. Turning around, she looked to see if she could see Majima again but he was gone.

With a sigh, Izumi walked toward the sushi restaurant where she worked. It was only her second week at the job but her skills spoke for themselves. She put the manga she had just bought into her bag, thinking she could read it on her break, only to be greeted by a sign on the door that said they were closed for business. Izumi leaned in for a closer look and saw that the restaurant was dark inside. Another look at the sign said they were sorry for the inconvenience.

“Wait…what?”

###

“Looks like everything’s set for the night,” the assistant manager said as Majima lit a cigarette and took a drag. “We can just relax back here until there’s a problem.”

“Um, Manager?” There was a light knock on the door frame and he looked up to see one of his waiters standing there. “I’m so sorry to bother you, but I have someone here who says it’s imperative that she speaks to you.”

“Huh?” Majima stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. “Great. First problem of the night. Bring ‘em in.” The waiter stepped aside and the young woman he had met earlier stepped forward.

“G-good evening,” the woman whose name he hadn’t asked bowed to him. “Please forgive me for coming by without calling. My name is Sonozaki Izumi. I’ve found myself in a bit of a predicament and I’m hoping you can help me.” She seemed rattled but she looked him straight in the eye and her stance indicated that she was a proud woman.

“I can try. I don’t usually use the girls fresh off the street on our busiest evening. You’ll need some trainin’ and better clothes, too.” He took in her jeans, ruffled top, wide green stripe in her hair, and the cardigan she was wearing. “Once we got all that settled, you’ll be great.”

“Oh,” Izumi said. “I’m afraid I’m not cut out for hostess work. I’m just not the hostess type, you know? I was hoping you might have a position as a waitress or a bartender.” Majima looked her up and down again, then sighed.

“Have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the couch. She sat down and he signaled to a waiter who was walking by. “Whiskey and water, two of them.” As soon as the waiter was gone, he sat across from her and took out a pack of cigarettes. He shook one out and offered it to her, then took one of his own after she took one.

“I feel like I’m getting fired before I even get hired,” Izumi laughed nervously. Majima lit her cigarette and smiled, hoping to put her at ease.

“Nah, I just wanna talk to ya.” He leaned back on the seat. “So what’s your story, Sonozaki-chan? Take as long as you need to.”

“It’s not a long story. I moved here from Kyoto a couple of weeks ago and got a job as a sushi chef. I came in today and the restaurant is closed. There was a fire in the kitchen and it’ll be a while before they can fix it.” She took a deep drag of her cigarette and Majima noticed that she smoked like a man even while her ankles were crossed. “You’re the only other person I’ve spoken to, so I thought I’d take a chance. Like I said, no one ever says I’m pretty.”

“Guess they’re all blind. I’ve only got the one eye and I can see you’re real pretty.” He smiled. “You _sure_ ya ain’t interested in bein’ a hostess? You could make a lotta money.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head again. “My family wouldn’t allow it.” She finished her cigarette, tossed back her whiskey and stood up. “Thank you for your hospitality, Majima-san, but if you’ve got no place for me here I’ll need to look elsewhere.”

“Who said I ain’t got a place for ya?” Majima stubbed out his cigarette, then got up and motioned for her to follow him. “You said ya were a sushi chef? We ain’t got much in the way of a kitchen but we have small things like fruit plates. Think ya can handle that and cleanin’ up the kitchen at the end of the night? We got guys who clean the tables.”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I was looking for! Thank you, Majima-san,” she said, bowing to the waist. “You’ve really saved my ass.”

“No problem. You seem like a nice kid.” He turned to make sure she was following him down the stairs and saw that she was narrowing her eyes at him. “What’d I say?”

“I’m not a kid,” she said irritably. “I’m 25.”

“25?” Majima looked at her in disbelief. “There’s no way. I’m 23 and ya look 18 at best.” She stared him down and folded her arms over her chest and he laughed. “Trust me, you’ll be grateful for it when you’re 40.” He turned to lead her down to the kitchen and heard her mutter something that sounded like “ _if I even make it to 40.”_

When they reached the kitchen, they found a harried-looking man in a chef’s whites with a bowl of water in the sink trying to thaw out what looked like melons and pineapple. Majima frowned.

“What the hell is this?”

“Problem with the freezer. I can’t arrange it if it’s frozen solid!” He sounded like he was at his wit’s end and Izumi looked around the kitchen, then opened the fridge and freezer. Majima could tell she was taking stock of what there was and more interestingly, remembering it.

“When do you open?” She looked up at Majima, who looked at his watch.

“About an hour.”

“That’s plenty of time. I can go to the store and get the fruit we need – fresh fruit – along with some other things we can use for a special until I can stock the kitchen my own---” Izumi seemed to catch herself and looked back up at him. “If that’s all right with you, Manager.”

“Fine by me. Less I have to do around here, the better. Let me give ya some cash.” He reached into his wallet and took out a 10,000 yen bill. It was almost his entire week’s salary but he had a feeling this girl would be able to turn it into 100,000 easily.

“Thank you, Manager.” She tucked it into the purse slung across her body and nodded. He noticed she didn’t smile when she said it, and realized that apart from the nervous smile when she’d arrived and the tiny smile that morning, she didn’t smile much.

“What’s with the ‘Manager’ bit?”

“I’m guessing I work for you now. I don’t want to be impolite.” She raised a hand. “Be right back! Keep thawing that fruit, though!”

“Who’s she?” The chef looked after Izumi and Majima shook his head.

“Some girl I found on the street,” he said. “Seems like she’s a good fit.”

“Seems like she could take your job one of these days,” the chef said. Majima scoffed and started out of this kitchen.

“Not likely. I’m stuck here until I die.”

###

“Seems like ya really know what you’re doin’,” Majima said as he stood over Izumi’s shoulder. “That’s more like art than food.” He was referring to the plate of fruit she was cutting up that looked a lot like the presentation of a plate of fugu. She’d cut off the top of the pineapple and was arranging the impossibly thin fruit around it, making it look like there was a plant in the center.

“I’ve always been good with a knife,” she said, then flipped it up in the air to prove it and caught it on the point on her finger. She flipped it again and Majima caught it out of the air this time, then handed it to her.

“So’ve I.” He hoped it would bring out her smile again but she simply nodded at him approvingly. Majima decided to try another route. “That cardigan of yours is nice, but I bet you’d look cute in something more evening-like.”

“Oh,” Izumi said, arranging the last few pieces of mango on the plate. A waiter came in and she handed it over to him, then picked up a mango and started peeling it. It was the third fruit plate that had been ordered since she sent her first one onto the floor. Guests were seeing them and wanting their own, so Izumi had been slicing fruit as fast as possible for the last hour with no sign of tiring. “I’m sorry, Manager. I’ll try to project more of a professional image tomorrow.”

“That ain’t what I meant,” sighed Majima. “Just wear whatever ya want, okay? You’re kicking ass out here. Don’t wear yourself out, though. It’s only your first day.” She nodded, looking down at the frozen fruit, which she had managed to turn into its own kind of art that disguised its frozen nature. Majima reached past her to grab one of the sakura manju she had bought at the store and she moved to smack his hand with the flat part of the knife. He dodged it deftly, but she was just as fast. Her free hand came out to grab his before he could touch it. Majima grabbed the knife and stabbed it into a pineapple, then reached over her and snatched the mochi. Izumi narrowed her eyes at him and he raised his eyebrow at her with a grin. “Nice try.”

“I suppose I have to train more,” Izumi said, letting go of his hand and reaching for the knife. Majima watched her sigh and shake her head, then broke the manju in two and handed half to her.

“Here.”

“For me?” Izumi looked surprised and Majima nodded.

“You’re doin’ great. At, like, everything. Thanks for comin’ in here and takin’ charge.” At last, Izumi gave him a full-on, honest smile and he felt like he’d opened some sort of hidden box. His girls smiled at him all the time, but there was something about Izumi’s smile. It had disappeared just as quickly as it had come, but there was the ghost of her smile playing around her lips as she ate the manju.

“Sonozaki-san, we have another order for the lucky koi fruit plate!” One of the waiters came over and handed her a slip of paper and she sighed.

“Good luck,” Majima said, slapping her on the shoulder. “Let me know before ya leave so I can pay ya for tonight. We can do all the paperwork later.” He smiled at her and she nodded. “Hey, Sonozaki-chan, thanks for savin’ my ass tonight.”

“Thank you for saving mine.” She was already looking down at the fruit she was slicing with the extremely sharp knife that they’d fought over just minutes earlier. Majima chuckled on his way out of the kitchen. He might not have found a new hostess but he’d found one hell of a chef.


	3. White Lie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An ambush in the alley threatens to awaken the demon in Izumi, and as a result Majima comes through with an unexpected kindness.

“Good night, Manager.” Izumi waved up at Majima, who was leaning against the railing with the ends of his bow tie hanging loose and a cigarette in his hand.

“Yeah, have a good one,” he said. “Ya did great tonight.”

“Thanks!” Izumi smiled. She’d spent years keeping a straight face but she couldn’t help it when Majima was around. “I’ll bring a bentou for you tomorrow like I promised.”

“That ain’t necessary. You’re too nice.”

“No one ever accused me of that before. Besides, it’s eel season!” Giving him a thumbs-up, she headed out the door. She put her earphones on and started on her way home. She nodded her head along with the beat as she walked down the alley, thinking about how she would go about finding the best unagi don in Osaka.

Then, suddenly, something grabbed her by the hair and whipped her around. Izumi’s headphones came off and her cassette player broke as it hit the concrete. The back of her head hit the wall and she tripped and fell into the garbage pile. As she struggled to get up she saw three girls in fashionable clothes laughing. It was hard to see their faces in the shadows but when they started talking, she knew them immediately.

“Thinks she’s so special.”

“Yeah, walks in like she owns the place just because she hangs around the manager all the time. It’s pathetic!”

“Let’s show her what happens to people like her.” This last voice hauled Izumi off the ground and slapped her across the face. It stung, but Izumi didn’t have time to react before someone punched her in the stomach. She doubled over and someone grabbed her hair again. Something boiled up in Izumi’s chest but she remembered who she was and stayed still.

She stayed still when they hit her in the face and stomach, when they knocked her to the ground and kicked her, and when they hit her with their purses. Izumi let the blows rain down on her, not uttering a peep. She remained stoic until they stopped, laughed at her, and turned to go.

“That’ll teach you,” one of them said. “Let’s see you come in and show the manager that face!” They started walking away and Izumi continued to lay on the ground until they were gone. Then she sat up and touched her nose. Her fingers came away bloody and she got up as best she could with her numerous injuries.

_No weakness_ , she thought as she straightened her back in spite of the agony in her ribs. _The Demon Lady would never show weakness. I have to think like the ones that came before me. I have to think like I came from Onigafuchi._

Izumi limped home, made it up the stairs, and picked up her cordless phone. She dialed the club’s back line, hoping Majima was still there, taking care of business. Izumi didn’t want to look at her face yet. Majima was perceptive. If he heard even a hint of tears in her voice, he’d know something was wrong. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him.

“Grand Cabaret, Majima here.”

“Manager, it’s Sonozaki Izumi.” It was hard to form words with her swollen lip but she did her best to sound normal.

“Sonozaki-chan? Everything okay? Why’d ya call me?” He sounded concerned and she cleared her throat.

“I won’t be at work tomorrow,” she whispered. “Maybe not Friday either. I don’t know yet.” The girls had been right. She didn’t want Majima to see her like this. Not only would it worry him, it would be embarrassing. She didn’t want to tell him that three of his best girls had ambushed her or the reason she couldn’t fight back.

“Oh? You sick?”

“In a way.” The worry in his voice was what she’d wanted to spare him. “I have a fever.” That would keep him from trying to convince her to come in, though she doubted Majima would do that. He’d never been anything but kind to her.

“Ugh yeah, that sucks. Take as much time as ya need. Call me if ya need anything.” She heard a softness in his voice that made her want to cry even more, and she tried to smile.

“Thank you, Manager. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

As soon as he hung up, Izumi flopped onto her bed and started crying. Her body hurt, her face hurt, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Even worse, there was no one in Osaka that would give her any sympathy. She couldn’t tell Majima about it, at best he wouldn’t care and at worst it could put him in danger. He was the only one she knew in town, though, so of course he was the one she thought of. He wouldn’t care, but he was kind enough to her that he might pretend he did and that could bring all sorts of violence into his life she couldn’t bear to think about. She couldn’t force him into her world, even if it would make her feel better for a little while. She had to protect her only friend.

She hugged her pillow tightly and cried harder. Leaving Kyoto had been one of the hardest things she had done but finding Majima and the Grand had seemed like something was going right for her. Now she had to hide who she was from a problem she wouldn’t even have if she hadn’t chosen to follow the address on the business card.

Izumi slowed her breath as best she could. Her swollen nose and cheek made it hard to breathe and she went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. When she did, she got her first look at her face and started to cry again. There was no way she was going to work the next day _or_ Friday. She couldn’t leave Majima and the chef alone on Saturday and Sunday but there was no amount of makeup that would cover the bruises that hadn’t even fully blossomed yet. She sank down on the lid of her toilet and put her hands over her face.

 _This isn’t fair_.

###

Even though he knew it was a little creepy to get her address from the work records, Majima walked up to Izumi’s building and whistled as he looked up at it.

“Nice place,” he said, thinking of the single room that served as his apartment. He went through the door and up using the elevator with two bags in his hands. Even the carpets were nice and he wondered how much something like this cost. As cute as she was and if she had this much money, why was she working in the kitchen at a hostess club?

When he got to her door, Majima knocked without hesitating. She was so nice and had no one in the city, he felt bad leaving her alone when she was sick. It took a minute for her to answer, but when the door opened, it only opened a crack.

“Manager? What are you doing here?” The half of Izumi’s face that he could see looked surprised and he held up the two bags.

“I thought you might need cheering up. Work ain’t the same without my favorite chef. Customers complain about the fruit when you ain’t there to slice it thin. Mind if I come in?”

“I can’t let you in,” Izumi said quietly. “I have a fever. I don’t want you to get sick.”

“Nah, I’ve got a great immune system.” Majima held up one bag. “Plus I brought fever reducers, gel sheets, manga, and oranges for the C.” He grinned at her, hoping to warm her up a little, and she closed her eye.

“All right, all right. Just…don’t be too shocked, okay?” The door unlocked and swung open, revealing that the half of her face he couldn’t see was bruised and swollen. Majima pushed his way into the apartment, forgetting to take off his boots.

“What the hell happened to ya?” He dropped the bags he’d brought and closed the door behind him. “Who hurt ya like this, Sonozaki-chan? D’ya know who they are? I’ll break their---”

“It’s all right, I was just caught by surprise by a couple of thugs. I refused to give them my purse so they beat the hell out of me. I didn’t want to come to work and worry you.” She sighed and sat on her couch with one leg folded under her. “Sorry, Manager.”

“Enough of this ‘Manager’ shit,” Majima said, brushing aside her apology. He was still angry and trying to calm himself down. It seemed like he was always bottling up his anger lately and the last thing he needed was to explode in front of an employee. “It’s Majima.”

“Oh. Okay. Sorry, Majima-san.” She gave him a lopsided smile that made him want to find whoever was responsible for hurting her and work them over with his bat. Even though she was trying to smile for him, he knew she had to be in pain. “Sorry about lying to you. You bought cold stuff for me and I don’t actually have a cold.”

“Nah, you got nothin’ to apologize for. Save it for the next time ya got a cold. ‘Cept the oranges. You probably wanna eat those now.” He sat on the couch beside her and sighed as he reached over to very gently take her chin between his long fingers. Majima turned her face from side to side. “Goddamn. They worked ya over.” He smiled at her. “I know what’ll fix it.”

“Ice packs and a dark room?”

“Extra-large spicy beef bowl.” Majima picked up the other bag and set it on her coffee table with a grin. “Makes everything better.” He realized he was wearing his boots. “Ah, dammit. Sorry about that, Sonozaki-chan. When I saw ya I didn’t think about takin’ ‘em off.” He pulled off his boots and set them by the door while Izumi rummaged for chopsticks. He noticed that there were several pairs of shoes in a little shoe caddy but none of them were heels or flats. They were all sneakers. Even when she’d started coming to work in skirts, she wore colorful sneakers.

“Did you bring napkins?”

“Ain’t they in there?” Snapping out of his sudden daze, Majima went to the coffee table and looked in the bag. “Oh, they were under the menu.” He glanced up at Izumi and saw her battered face over the beef bowl he’d brought her. A stab of mixed anger and sympathy went through him and he looked away.

“Something wrong, Majima-san?” Izumi looked up at him and it somehow made him feel worse.

“I was just thinkin’,” he said. “If you don’t wanna come to work ‘til your face looks a little better, you don’t hafta. If you were one of my girls I’d say stay outta the place ‘til you’re perfect but since nobody sees ya, it’s up to you.” He took a bite of the beef bowl, then coughed. “Damn. That’s hot as hell!”

“What did you expect?” Izumi finally laughed and Majima took a gulp of water. “You ordered extra-spicy!”

“When they said spicy, I didn’t think they meant they’d use the whole basket of peppers!” He continued to gulp water and Izumi laughed. As much as his mouth was burning, he was glad to hear her laughing. It was still rare for her to smile and even rarer to hear her laugh. It was as sweet a sound as he imagined, and Majima was selfishly glad that he was the only one to hear it. “Glad _you_ think it’s funny.”

Once she stopped laughing, Izumi ate her beef bowl like there was no problem with it at all. She finished it quietly, hardly speaking, and when she was done she looked up at Majima, who was sprawled back on the carpet.

“Thank you for this, Majima-san. You’re so kind to do this for me. I don’t want you to feel like I’m your responsibility, though.” Her face was as solemn as always and Majima shook his head.

“I don’t. You are kinda a friend, though. You’re not too proud to have a friend, are ya?” He looked at Izumi and for a minute he didn’t see the bruises on her face. All he saw was the genuine smile that came over her face.

“No, I’m not.” She looked at him, her deep brown eyes moving over his sharp features. There was something intimate about the way she did it and a shiver worked its way through Majima’s stomach. “Thank you for being my friend.”

“No problem,” he said, shrugging as if it was no big deal. “Pals help each other out. I don’t wanna hear any more of your feelin’ sorry for yourself. If ya need help, ask me. Okay?”

“Okay.” Izumi pointed to the manga. “How’d you know which one I liked?”

“I saw ya readin’ this one when we first met. Hope ya don’t have this one. It’s a side story.”

“I don’t. Thank you.” She smiled, and even the injured side of her face looked pretty. “You’re the best, Majima-san. I don’t think anyone has ever paid as much attention to my manga.”

“That’s me,” Majima said, leaning back. “I’m the best.”


	4. Whispers

_why do you want to join the Omi Alliance?_

To save us…all of us…

“What are ya talkin’ about, Izu-chan?”

When did you…start calling me that…

_The Omi won’t save us. Onigafuchi is---_

“What are ya doin’ here? Your family---”

I have to…take responsibility…

_Aneki!_

_Aneki!_

“Izu-chan?”

“…Izu-chan?”


	5. The Demon Rises

Four days later, Izumi told Majima that she thought her face looked good enough to go back to work. He was so glad about it that he almost asked her then and there to go have ramen with him. At the last second he had decided it was a bad idea but it still nibbled at the edge of his mind. It wouldn’t be a date or anything, just two buddies having ramen while they talked about idols. It took his mind off the constant dread he felt when he looked around the cabaret, seeing Sagawa’s face everywhere and remembering that Sotenbori wasn’t just his home now, it was his cage. A dread that was broken when he passed the kitchen and saw Izumi sneaking a bite of mango or practicing throwing and catching knives. She broke up the monotony, that was for sure, and he was eager to stay around her.

He was so deep in thought that he almost missed the pieces of broken plastic just outside the back door to the cabaret. Majima tossed down his cigarette and stepped on it, then knelt down to pick the plastic pieces up. A broken pair of headphones and a heavily damaged cassette player were just beside the trash and he pulled out the miraculously unharmed tape.

_This’s_ _Sonozakic-chan’s,_ he thought. _I’d know it anywhere. She always has the damn thing on in the kitchen. She’d never leave it behind._ Majima tucked the tape into his pocket to give back to her, then looked around. She’d been grabbed right outside the club. No one was going to want to see girls who had been mugged, or get mugged themselves. _I’ll have to keep an eye on things out here._

Majima went into The Grand, taking out her tape to see what it was. It looked like it was a handmade tape and he frowned. He wondered what sort of thing Izumi liked to listen to. Absently, he went up the stairs to his office, wondering if she liked karaoke. He was wrapped up in thoughts of ramen and a karaoke battle with Izumi when he overheard some of the hostesses talking.

“Told you she wouldn’t show up. It’s been almost a week now.”

“Of course not. She wouldn’t want to show up like that and let the Manager see her.” Majima looked over the railing to see one of them toss her curls. “What does it matter, anyway? It’s not like she’d ever make a good hostess.”

“There’s something scary about her, though. She didn’t even fight back. She just…laid there and let us do it.” The voice belonged to his best girl and he frowned. “We shouldn’t talk about it here, the Manager would fire us if he knew---"

“Did someone say my name down there?” Majima leaned over the rail and the girls looked up at him guiltily. He’d seen that look before on his own face. There was something they were hiding from him and he knew exactly what it was.

“No sir! We were just coming in to be ready for tonight!” They hurried into the dressing room, leaving Majima glaring after them.

It had been them. They’d been the ones who beat Izumi so badly that she hadn’t wanted to leave her house. He wondered why she hadn’t told him the truth about it. More than likely it was because she was embarrassed, or worse, because she didn’t want him to know it was his girls. He pushed himself off the railing, then went down the stairs with the intention of telling the girls that it didn’t matter if they were his best earners, they were suspended.

Instead, the door opened and Izumi came in. She was wearing a pair of black pants with a cute shirt and a cardigan as always. She looked perfectly professional, with the exception of the ghost of the bruises on one side of her face. Izumi wasn’t wearing makeup other than lipstick, as if she was proud of her injuries, and her back was straight.

“Good evening, Majima-san,” she said pointedly but warmly to Majima. “I’m sorry I was gone so long. I’ll work twice as hard to make up for it.” She smiled at him and the girls who had beaten her looked sideways at each other. “If you need me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“No need for that,” Majima said. “Meet me in the office upstairs when ya get settled. I need to talk to ya about something.”

“Of course. I’ll join you in a moment or two.” She went into the kitchen and Majima went back upstairs and into the office. His assistant manager normally made coffee and there were plenty of towels in the warmer, so there usually wasn’t much for him to do other than sit and dwell on his situation. Today there was Izumi coming through the door with the smile she seemed to reserve for him. “What’s up?”

“This,” Majima said, taking her cassette out of his pocket and handing it to her. “This is your tape, ain’t it?”

“Where did you get this?” She took it from him, frowning. “I didn’t think I’d see it again. Thank you. My little brother made it for me before I left.”

“I found it by the back door, with your broken tape player. Between that and what I overheard earlier, there ain’t a doubt in my mind that you’ve been lyin’ to me.”

“Lying?”

“What really happened to ya, Sonozaki-chan?” He put a hand on the table and leaned toward her, and she looked away. “C’mon,” Majima said, changing his tone immediately. “Just tell me. You’ll feel better.”

“Okay, fine,” Izumi said. “I lied to you. But I had a good reason.” Majima gestured to her to go on and she bit her lip. “They were some of your most popular hostesses. I didn’t want you to lose money because of them.”

“I don’t give a shit about the money. I care about ya gettin’ beat up right outside, probably while I was working in here. If you’da shouted for me, I woulda come out and helped ya, no matter who the hell they were.” He sighed. “Sonozaki-chan, I want to be someone ya can trust. You said ya ain’t got any friends around here, I wanna be your friend.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you really knew me,” Izumi said, smiling at him. “But thank you anyway, Majima-san.”

“What do ya mean by ‘if I really knew ya?’” She looked away from him and he reconsidered what he was about to say. Instead, he reached out for her and grabbed her chin, then turned the injured side of her face to him. “Next time, yell for me. I’ll tell ya somethin’ I don’t want people knowin’. I live here, above the club. Even if I’m about to fall asleep, I’ll come for ya.”

“You will?” Izumi’s eyes were so dark, it was like he could fall into them and she looked at him seriously. “And what if I want to beat the hell out of them after I call for you?”

“I’d say don’t get yourself hurt.” Majima smiled. “Turns out I kinda like havin’ ya around.”

“Hmph,” Izumi said, though she didn’t pull away from him. “I’ve heard you flatter the hostesses before. You could charm a yakuza boss with your words.”

“You’d be surprised.” Majima let go of her. “Go on and head down to the kitchen. Take as much time as you need up here first, though. You can even stay up here until the floor opens.”

“Thanks,” Izumi said. “I might be vain, but I’m not that delicate.” She got up and held her bag tightly. Just before she opened the door, her fingers tightened on the strap of her bag and she looked back at Majima. “Thank you for giving me back my tape. I appreciate your thinking about me.”

“No problem. Don’t forget what I said.” He watched her go, the green stripe in her hair bouncing with her ponytail. It was shorter than his and he wondered how far down her hair went when she took it out. He shook his head. Women were terrifying.

###

“See you tomorrow, Majima-san,” Izumi said, raising a hand at him. He had untied his bowtie and was leaning on the railing of the second floor. He returned the gesture as three girls walked past Izumi, chatting and laughing.

“Be careful goin’ home,” he said, shaking a cigarette out of his pack. “I mean it.”

“I know, I know.” Izumi put her hands in her cardigan, then looked up at him again. “Hey, Majima-san?”

“Yeah, what?”

“When’s your day off?”

“Probably somewhere around Christmas, why?” He lit his cigarette and Izumi grinned. “What’s that smile about? You’re creepin’ me out.”

“Do you like curry?”

“What’s with the twenty questions?” Majima leaned over the railing and Izumi tipped her head back. He was awfully handsome, eyepatch and all, and though she’d thought at first that this was a good idea, it was starting to feel like it needed rethinking.

“I’m going to take you to lunch sometime.” This made Majima laugh, and she put her hands on her hips. “What’s funny?”

“If ya don’t know, I’m not tellin’ ya. I’ll take your curry, though.” He shook his head. “Go on home and remember what I told ya.” Majima turned away from her and the railing and went into the office. Izumi watched him go, then the smile on her lips turned devious.

_Perfect_.

She walked out the back door of the cabaret, wishing she had her tape player but glad Majima had found her little brother’s tape. A giggle escaped her mouth against her will. She felt guilty deceiving him but glad that he really would have curry with her. While she was thinking about this, she heard a click behind her on the concrete.

“You really came back, huh? Guess we have to---” Izumi didn’t wait to hear the hostess’ words. She spun around and kicked her in the midsection, sending her flying into the same trash they’d left her in. The other two girls looked shocked, and grabbed on to one another. Izumi cocked her head.

“What? You’re going to have to do what?” She inhaled deeply.

“Nothing! Nothing!” One of the girls shook her head. “We’re sorry!” She looked like she was about to cry.

“An apology isn’t enough. You know what they do in the yakuza, right?” Izumi grabbed the girl who was crying in the trash pile by the hair.

“No! Stop!”

“You have to take _responsibility_.” Izumi grabbed her face and hit the back of her head against the wall. Then she advanced on the other two girls. “You had a lot of fun with me, didn’t you? Why shouldn’t I have fun with you?” She twisted her hand in the smallest girl’s hair and dragged her forward.

“Please, please don’t do this!”

“Come on, ladies. Time to take responsibility.”


	6. The Demon Lady of Sonozaki

With a yawn, Majima opened the door to the fire escape and sat on the chair he had out there. He folded one long leg over the other knee and took out his cigarettes. Between the hundreds of things that it took to keep the club running smoothly, finding out what happened to Izumi, and an unpleasant phone call from Sagawa, he was ready to get some sleep. He was just about to light his cigarette when he heard a shriek from the alley below.

“Shit,” he said, thinking of Izumi. He hadn’t thought anything about chatting with her but it could have made things worse. Majima ran down the fire escape, not sure what he was going to see but ready for just about anything. What he wasn’t expecting to see was Izumi standing in the alley holding his best hostess by the hair. “Sonozaki-chan!” She turned to him and her eyes were wide, blank in a way he knew all too well.

“Don’t worry,” she said with a demonic grin. “I didn’t hit them anywhere that their clothes won’t hide.” Her smile was unsettling but that wasn’t what drew Majima’s attention. Apparently one of the girls had fought back because her cardigan was torn at the shoulder, and the unmistakable colors of a tattoo showed through.

“Hey, hey, I think ya made your point,” he said, walking over to her as if everything was normal. “It ain’t too late at night to grab some ramen if you’re up for it.”

“Yeah?” Izumi let go of the hostess and she scrambled away. Majima jerked his head toward the street and the girls ran off without looking back. “I’m…not really hungry…” She stumbled forward and he swooped in and steadied her with the grace of a fox.

“You okay? Careful.”

“No, no, I’m fine.” She tried to push away, then seemed to change her mind and leaned on him. “I just want to go home.”

“Yeah, I would too. I’ll walk ya, if ya don’t mind.” Majima looked at the colorful skin peeking out of the tear in her sweater and took off his jacket to put it over her shoulders. “Here, keep that on ‘til we’re back at your place.”

“I’m not cold,” she said, frowning. “Majima-san…”

“I ain’t givin’ it to ya because it’s cold, I’m givin’ it to ya so everybody in Sotenbori don’t see all your tattoos!” As soon as he said it, she seemed to realize it and grabbed her sweater.

“Dammit, I made this!”

“Just leave the damn jacket, will ya?” He took a deep breath. “Come on, Sonozaki-chan, let’s go.” She nodded and, rather than lean on him again, took his arm. Surprised once again, he let her hang onto him as rain started falling around them. “Great, just what we need now.”

They walked toward Izumi’s apartment building and she tugged him toward the elevator. The rain had gotten harder and while they waited for the elevator to arrive, they both stood soaking wet and shivering under the air conditioner.

“I’m glad for the jacket now,” Izumi said, then looked down at her hand and grimaced when she saw strands of wet hair in it. “Ugh, gross.” She shook her hand and the hair fell onto the ground. “I hate that.” When they got up to Izumi’s apartment, Majima took off his boots and socks and set them in her entryway while she stepped out of her loafers. “If you want to dry your clothes my dryer is in my bathroom. You could take a shower too while I change.” She seemed to be back to her old self and Majima was going to decline in favor of going back to his own apartment but it seemed like it was raining harder and he wanted to know what the hell was going on.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” He took off his bowtie and grabbed his socks, then went into the bathroom to shower. Even though he didn’t want to think about what the dryer was going to do to his tuxedo, he stuck everything in it and started a gentle cycle before getting into the shower. He was just stepping under the shower when a small knock at the door got his attention. For a moment he thought Izumi was going to come in but she didn’t.

“Hey, my bath might still be hot if you want to get in. It’s up to you, okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Thanks.” Majima felt incredibly awkward being naked and talking to Izumi but she didn’t seem to want to have a conversation and he went about the business of showering and then lowering himself into her tub for a soak until the dryer stopped.

Once he got out and got re-dressed, he used her brush to slick back his hair and put his ponytail back up, then put on his eyepatch and went out to her apartment to look for her. He didn’t have to look far. She was sitting on her couch wearing a tank top and a different sweater over a pair of pajama pants, her hair out of its ponytail and its green streak somewhat wavy, doing something that looked like mending the cardigan that had gotten torn.

“Better?” She looked up at Majima and smiled, and he nodded.

“I could ask the same thing. You look better.” Not sure where he should sit this time, Majima sat on the couch near Izumi. “Less like ya might murder me.”

“I’d never kill _you_ ,” she said, unsmiling all of a sudden. “I like you far too much for that.” Izumi continued to sew.

“You said ya made that?” Majima pointed at the cardigan. “That’s talent. I think it’d be cool to be able to make my own sweater.”

“I know you’re curious about my tattoo,” Izumi said, completely catching him off guard. “Would you like to see it?”

“Wh-what?” Majima didn’t have a chance to answer before she shrugged off her sweater and took off her tank top as quickly as an old yakuza lieutenant spoiling for a fight.

Whatever he had been expecting, it was nothing like he was looking at when Izumi turned her back to him and held up her hair. Her entire back was taken up by a tattoo of a demon inside flames and surrounded with roses and flames that came down to her elbows. It wasn’t some small tattoo, it was full-on yakuza irezumi and she looked over her shoulder at him.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said softly. “And you’re right.”

“ _You’re_ yakuza?” It was the literal last thing Majima could have ever guessed and she nodded. “How…why…” He pressed a hand to his head. “ _What?_ ”

“I should probably explain.” Izumi put her clothes back on and sighed. “I’m sure I scared you,” Izumi said, setting aside her sewing for knitting. “Now I’m going to bore you.”

“If you’re gonna explain to me why ya have yakuza ink and why you’re sayin’ you’re yakuza, I doubt it’s gonna be very borin.’” He leaned back against the sofa and put his arms across the top. “So let’s hear it.”

“All right, then. Back in 1983, there was a disaster in the town of Hinamizawa, where the Sonozaki Family is based. The Matriarch was killed, along with her husband who was the Captain, and her daughters that were the lieutenants. Our family has historically been a matriarchal family, which is why we were never affiliated with the Tojo Clan or Omi Alliance, or anyone else. We’ve been known as demons, in part because of Hinamizawa’s history, and in part because of me.”

“You? What did ya do?”

“Okaasan died when I was a baby, so Otousan became the head of our branch. I had an older brother and Otousan was more of a traditional yakuza who wanted to move our family into the Tojo Clan. When the disaster happened, my grandmother became the Matriarch. Then…” She closed her eyes and Majima moved closer.

“Then?”

“Grandmother killed herself and we thought she killed my older brother. My younger brother was only fifteen, but I was over 20 so I should have been Matriarch. My father took over as Patriarch, though, and tried to marry me off to another family to get a connection to the Tojo Clan. When one of the candidates tried to assault me, my little brother and I went a little crazy. I don’t remember what happened after that, but when everything was done, the families in Kyoto started calling me the Demon Lady. Otousan made me the Captain instead of trying to marry me off, and I got my irezumi. When he got killed, I became the Matriarch.” She looked into her hands. “Then my big brother showed back up. We fought over who would lead the family. The old timers wanted me because they were traditional, but the young blood wanted my brother. I’m sure you can guess what happened, since I’m here now.”

“So ya had a tantrum and moved to Sotenbori.” Izumi looked up at Majima, her eyes filled with fire again, and he held up his hands. “Hey, hey, I ain’t sayin’ there was anything wrong with it, just callin’ it like I see it.”

“My brother said I could still be the Captain but I didn’t want his pity.” She sighed. “Well? Have I scared you yet?”

“Not even a little,” Majima said. Lightning cracked outside and thunder rolled.

“Even though you’re in the same room with a trashy yakuza woman?”

“Hey, I don’t wanna hear anything about yakuza bein’ trash.” Hoping to make her feel better, Majima unbuttoned his shirt and pulled down the shoulder just enough so that she could see his own irezumi. “Unless you’re sayin’ I’m trash, in which case I ain’t gonna correct ya.”

“You’re yakuza too?” Izumi’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. You’re _that_ Majima? The cautionary tale who disappeared two years ago?”

“I had no idea I was so famous.” He shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead. “I thought your family was all insular and shit.”

“Even the Sonozakis have to use something to scare our new recruits.” Izumi pulled a knee up to her chest. “Wow. I can’t believe you’re really alive.”

“Yeah, everything’s goin’ great. I’m stuck in this city running a hostess club, I’ve been booted out of the clan, and oh yeah, I lost an eye for it.” He realized just how bitter he sounded but had no desire to correct himself.

“I’m sorry,” Izumi said, and she clearly meant it. There was a silence between them and Izumi turned her head slightly. “Majima-san…did you mean what you said about liking having me around?”

“’Course I meant it. What kinda guy do ya take me for?” He sat back on her floor, half-sprawled with his arm on his knee. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to talk to her and be with her, and grinning at her felt real instead of a performance. “Lemme answer your next question. After all the stuff you told me, you wanna know if I wanna be here.”

“No,” Izumi said, letting go of her knees and scooting across the carpet until she was sitting so close to him that he could see a couple of tiny freckles on her nose. His heart was thundering in his chest, and his mind raced. Why was she doing this? “I want to know if it’s okay if I kiss you.”

“Y-you want to _what_?” Majima’s eyes widened. Out of instinct, he looked around but remembered that he was at Izumi’s apartment and not the Grand. Looking back at Izumi, her face serious, her cardigan puddled around her waist and her irezumi – impossible enough as it was – decorating her shoulders and upper arms. He _did_ want her to kiss him. Ridiculous, dangerous, he still wanted it. “Heh. Yeah,” he said, smiling gently at her. “It’s okay by me.”

Izumi leaned over to kiss him and he moved forward to meet her, just as the lights in her apartment went out. They both looked up at the ceiling, then Izumi shrugged and they kissed anyway. Once they pulled apart, Izumi stood up and went to the window. The rain that was coming down was beating against her window in sheets and it was obvious that there was a large chunk of the block that didn’t have lights.

“Damn,” Majima said, looking over her shoulder. “Not lookin’ forward to walkin’ home in that. Maybe there’ll be a taxi I can grab.”

“Why don’t you just stay here?” Izumi said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world and Majima’s head whipped toward her so quickly that his neck hurt. “On the couch, Majima-san. The couch.”

“Oh, yeah, of course. Sure, I’ll stay here so long as ya don’t mind wakin’ up to a guy in your livin’ room.” A large part of him was disappointed. He hadn’t realized until after she said the couch that he’d actually been hoping she was asking him what he thought she was. He didn’t know much about yakuza women but she didn’t seem like the delicate, virginal type.

“If it’s you I don’t mind,” Izumi said, her voice soft in the darkness. Her shadow moved toward Majima and she put her arms around him. It was a comforting feeling and he returned the favor. “Hey. This kind of changes things, huh?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

“You mad about it?” Izumi leaned her head on him and he laughed and put his head on hers.

“Nah. If it’s you, I don’t mind.” He kissed the top of her head, then pulled her over to the couch and sat down with her. Izumi leaned her head on his shoulder this time and he put his arm around her. Before long she was snoring softly and he shook his head. “Poor kid. I had a feelin’ ya were gonna conk out soon.” He reached behind them and pulled a blanket off the couch, then put it over them and leaned his head on hers again. A few minutes later, he was asleep as well.


	7. Demon and Dog

“He’s spending a lot of time with her. Want us to take her out?” One of the men who had been tasked with watching Majima was making a report to Sagawa, the yakuza who was keeping Majima in his gilded cage. It had been a few weeks since the incident behind The Grand and there was no one in Sotenbori who hadn’t noticed that there was _something_ going on with the cabaret manager, though not everyone knew what.

“Not yet,” Sagawa said, taking a drag of his cigarette. “Let it go a little while. Spending a lot of time together…let them sleep together, hell, let him fall in love with her. _Then_ we kill the girl. That’ll remind him of his place.”

“Yes, sir.”

###

“Been one hell of a night,” Majima said to Izumi as he untied his bow tie. “Thank god I got tomorrow off durin’ the day.”

“What are you going to do with all your free time?” Izumi yawned and looked at her watch. It was almost one in the morning and she’d waited for Majima to get finished with business, practicing her knife skills while she did. “I made sashimi, by the way. Want to come eat it with me?”

“Sashimi? Hell yeah I do.” There was no one else in the club except his assistant manager, who was upstairs somewhere. “Nothin’ but the best from my girl, I guess.”

“I’m your girl, now?”

“Ya know what I mean. I told ya I ain’t lookin’ for a girlfriend.” Majima nodded for her to follow him out the door and she walked past him with the boxed plate of sashimi in her hands.

“Maybe I don’t want a sketchy, one-eyed bastard for a boyfriend anyway, so who gives a damn what you want.” Izumi marched in front of him so he couldn’t see her face. In truth, she was a little hurt by his words. She hadn’t expected him to profess his love for her so quickly or anything, but she hadn’t expected him to say he didn’t want her as a girlfriend quite so readily.

“Hey, Izumi-chan, don’t be like that…”

“You know what, I can walk myself home. Here,” she said, turning and shoving the sashimi at him. “Take this. I made it for you anyway.” She stormed away from him, her face red. A few seconds later she heard the clicking of snakeskin boots behind her

“Izumi, wait a sec, willya?” Majima grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

“What?”

“Why don’t we do somethin’ together tomorrow? Just the two of us.” There was a smile on his face that Izumi could only describe as gentle, and it threw her off balance. “Unless ya don’t wanna be seen on a date with some sketchy, one-eyed bastard.”

“A date? Are you serious, or are you just playing with me, Majima-san?”

“I’m serious as hell. I wanna take ya somewhere.” He let go of her wrist but took her hand. “C’mon, where do ya wanna go?”

“Okonomiyaki and karaoke,” Izumi said immediately. Majima stared at her for a long moment, then burst out laughing.

“That’s it? That’s where ya want me to take ya?” She nodded and he put an arm around her shoulders, steering her toward her apartment building. “Whatever ya want, Izumi-chan.”

“Now you’ve got the idea.”

###

The next morning, Majima was standing outside Izumi’s door in his tuxedo minus the bow tie with a bouquet of flowers. She’d wanted a simple date but after making her mad the night before he wanted to pull out all the stops. When Izumi opened the door, she blew away even his club’s number-one hostess. She was wearing a dress with a ruffled, low-cut neckline and a ruffle at the knee-length hem, a bright green cardigan covering her tattoos. Her hair was loose and just above her shoulders, her green stripe matching her cardigan perfectly.

“Wow, Izumi-chan. Ya look great.”

“Thanks, Majima-san,” Izumi said, blushing as she took the flowers from him.

“We’re gonna do whatever ya want today, but I wanna ask ya for one thing.” He held up a finger and she looked up at him, blinking curiously. “For the love’a god, quit callin’ me Majima-san. Makes me feel like I’m your boss or somethin.’”

“What do you want me to call you? Goro-chan?” Izumi went into her apartment to put away the flowers and Majima walked in behind her.

“How ‘bout ya drop the -chan?”

“Whatever you want,” Izumi said, putting her flowers into a vase with water to be arranged later. “Let’s get going, I’m excited. Where are we going first?”

“My favorite karaoke place,” Majima said. “You’re gonna love it.” As they walked down the hall to the elevator, Majima reached over and flipped Izumi’s hair. “I never got to ask ya, what’s this about?”

“My hair?” Izumi reached up and pulled her hair over to see what Majima was talking about, then smiled. “Oh, the green. It’s a family thing. There’s a weird mutation in my family that makes some of the women have green or greenish-blonde hair. Just one more reason for people to see us as demons, you know. I got away with a stripe but my cousins from Hinamizawa had completely green hair. Mion-chan teased me about it so much that I wanted to dye my entire head but my mother said no.” She smiled. “She wasn’t a Sonozaki by birth.”

“It’s cute. Kinda like a birthmark.” The elevator doors opened and the pair walked out, Izumi slightly ahead of Majima. His eyes scanned her neckline for any hint of her irezumi but nothing showed. “What about me? Ya got any burnin’ questions?”

“Sure. When did you lose your eye?” She looked up at him curiously and he shrugged.

“You’re yakuza, ya know what happens when a guy gets himself erased. It happened then.” He considered flipping up his eyepatch but thought that even if she had a back full of demon tattoos, she was still a woman, and it seemed impolite.

“Oh. I wondered if it happened when you were younger, or if you were born without one.” She walked a little closer to him. “I was hoping we’d be a little bit more alike.”

“What’re ya talkin’ about? We’re plenty alike.” The pair walked toward the Sotenbori main street together and Majima pointed at an alleyway. “My favorite place is over there. Trust me, you’re gonna love it. What song are you going to sing first?”

“I was thinking ‘ _Angel of Love_ ’ by Cham,” Izumi said. “I love them so much, they’re so cute!”

“You like idol singers? So do I!” Majima put a hand on his chest. “I told you we got plenty in common. ‘Cept I’m better with a knife.”

“Let’s take this out back after karaoke, old man.” Izumi narrowed her eyes at him and Majima looked at her, offended.

“Old man?! I’m younger than ya!”

“Come on, I want to sing.” Izumi grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the karaoke bar with a grin. Majima returned it, thinking that everything was probably going to be all right for the first time in a long time.


	8. Made to Leave You

“We can’t kill her,” the sniper said to Sagawa as he stepped into almost-completely darkened office inside The Grand. “I had a perfect shot into her apartment but…”

“But what? You couldn’t kill a single woman?”

“She’s a family woman. Judging by her age and ink, she might be the Demon Lady of Sonozaki!” His eyes were wide and he shook his head. “If we kill her…those guys really are demons. They’d kill us in ways that would make our grandkids hurt.”

“You’re right. We can’t kill her.” Sagawa considered it. “We don’t have to. I only want to get her out of Sotenbori and away from Majima. Especially if she’s the Demon Lady. Someone like that might give him ideas.” He smiled. “Family women have their own weaknesses, though, moreso than men.” Sagawa took a drag of his cigarette thoughtfully. “Find out more about her family. I’m sure we can find a way to make her sorry she ever met Majima-chan.”

###

It was dark in Izumi’s apartment when the phone started to ring and Majima woke up, immediately on the alert. It took him a moment to remember that it wasn’t his apartment and he considered shaking Izumi, who slept much more soundly. Before he could, she reached for her nightstand.

“Hello?” Izumi answered the phone, yawning. Majima sat halfway up beside her, pushing his long hair out of his eye. “Oniisan? What’s the matter?” She sat straight up and Majima frowned, putting a hand on her hip and looking at her as if to ask what was wrong. “No, that’s not…it can’t be…”

“Izumi?”

“I’ll be home as soon as I can. What? No, I _know_ what I said when I left. I’ll be back.” She hung up the phone and turned to Majima. “My sister-in-law was killed. They don’t know who did it or why, but she was shot while she was in the hot springs with her son.”

“What?” A sick feeling moved into Majima’s stomach. He’d been so careful with Izumi, kept their relationship behind closed doors as much as possible, and their safety so far had kept him on his toes. Now she was sitting in the bed they’d been sharing and crying as if her heart would break, and he had no idea what to say. “What about the boy?”

“He’s fine but they say he won’t cry, or speak. My brother wants me to come back to run the family while he cares for his son.” She wiped her eyes. “Yuzuru always loved me, maybe I can get him to talk.”

“That’s a hell of a thing to come back from,” Majima said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are ya okay, Izumi-chan?”

“It would be easy to say yes, then get up and leave,” Izumi said, turning to him. “But I love you too much to lie to you, Goro. I don’t know if I’ll ever be okay again. This damn family has caused me nothing but heartache.”

“C’mere. It ain’t like ya gotta go this second.” He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. “Just go do what ya gotta. I’ll take care of stuff around here for ya.”

“You don’t understand,” Izumi said, her cheek on his chest. “I have to leave Sotenbori. My brother isn’t temporarily stepping back while his son is sick, he’s stepping _aside_ to make me Matriarch. I have to go back to Kyoto.”

“Oh, yeah. I can see that.” Everything inside Majima felt like it had disappeared, leaving him completely hollow. “Congrats, I guess. The whole reason ya came to Osaka was ‘cause you were pissed your brother came along and took your position.”

“I don’t give a shit about the Matriarchy anymore. I have a job here, and friends.” She looked up at Majima. “I have you.”

“Maybe it’s good ya leave,” he said, though he kept his arms around her. “Bein’ around me can be dangerous.”

“You’ve seen enough of me to know I can take care of myself.” Izumi pulled away and put her hands on either side of his slim face. “Come with me. They don’t have to know you’ve gone. The Sonozaki Family can hide you with us.”

“I’m sorry, Izumi-chan,” Majima said, taking her hands off his face and holding them gently. “I can’t. This place…it ain’t just my home right now, it’s my cage. The Shimano family will know and they’ll send people after the both of us.” He looked away, afraid she would see what he knew. “I don’t give a shit if I die, but if you died because of me I’d never forgive myself.”

They were both silent then, knowing that even then they were spending their last moments together. Izumi laid back down and Majima joined her, putting his arm around her in the only way he could protect her. She curled against his chest and he kissed the top of her head. He didn’t quite know what to say. How did you tell someone you loved that you were the one who had gotten their family member killed?

“Hey, it ain’t that big a deal,” he said, closing his eye. “We can call each other, right? I got a phone card collection I’d love to add to, and we can send postcards back and forth. I can’t come see ya but there ain’t nothin’ sayin’ ya can’t come see me if ya wanna.”

“Mm.” Izumi snuggled closer. “Would it be too clingy if I wrote you every week?”

“Nah. Ain’t girlfriends supposed to be clingy?” Majima pulled the covers up to her shoulders.

“Thought you weren’t looking for a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, I thought I wasn’t either.”

“Jerk.”


End file.
